A Life Saved
by premunite
Summary: Lily's life has been pretty rough until one fateful day promises safety. Can she ever become comfortable in a safe life when all she's known is horror? Not a typical L&J story, different time period.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey Guys,

Listen, I know that this isn't your typical Lily and James story, but I wanted to change the time to see what would happen. I'm sorry to those of you that detest OC's, but they happen to help me characterize my characters, you'll see. I hope you like it, review if you want.

Disclaimer: I own only the plot, no HP characters

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She silently walked into the large room with her head down, her hands folded in front of her. She stopped in front of a mistress feeling a pair of eyes burring into her.

"Here she is Madame," the man behind her said. He shoved her forward. "Stand up straight wench!" he growled. She took in a deep breath and lifted her head. The mistress gasped in horror.

"How dare you bring this girl to me?! She's...she's... she's a walking dung heap!" she sputtered in disgust.

"You said you wanted a servant, well now you have one." Lily averted her gaze.

"Very well," the mistress said tightly. She waved toward her. "I guess she'll do. Does she listen to orders?"

"Of course." The mistress took in a sharp breath.

"Fine. How much?"

"Ten galleons," he answered. Lily winced slightly at the price. He roughly grabbed her arm and whirled her to face him. "You best stop that. You should be kissing my feet that I didn't sell you to that bloke down town. He would have raped your ass over and over again wench," he spat. She stared up in horror at him.

"I thought you said that she obeyed orders," the mistress behind her said. He looked over her head at her.

"She does, but sometimes its good to reinforce your power over her." He threw her away from him. She turned to face her new mistress. She was nodding her head thoughtfully at her.

"Very well then," she walked forward and handed him the coins. He sneered at Lily.

"I'll be on my way then. Thank you ma'am," he said nodded at the mistress and turned to walk from the house. Lily stiffly stood in the middle of the room. The mistress began to look her over. She picked at her shabby brown dress and her dirty hair.

"My, my, my, what a big mess," she said. Suddenly a woman appeared at the door.

"Madame?" she asked. Lily felt her breath catch at the sight of her. She wore a light purple gown, a white apron falling from her waist to her ankle line. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun at the back of her head. Her chocolate eyes were attentively darting around the room, taking in every detail. Her eyes fell upon Lily and took her in. Lily looked away, feeling disgusting compared to her tidy attire.

"I want you to take this girl and clean her up. Get her dressed and start dinner." The woman nodded and headed for her. She lightly touched her arm.

"Follow me," she said gently. Lily gracefully curtsied low to the mistress and the woman softly gasped in surprise before doing the same. Lily followed her silently out of the room. She led her to a tub filled with water and turned to her. Lily folded her hands in front of her and looked at the water. "Um, this is your bath. I'll get you a towel and some clothes to change into." Lily nodded her head. The woman left the room. Lily slipped from her grubby dress and stepped into the cool water. She wet her hair and scrubbed the dirt from her skin. The woman came back with a towel and a new dress. She laid the towel next to the tub and the dress on a nearby chair. She knelt by the tub and held out a bottle. "It's soap, you know, for your hair," she said gently. Lily took it and poured some on her hands. She rubbed it into her hair and savored the feeling of the dirt and grime coming off. She dipped under and rinsed her hair running her hands through the strands. She closed her eyes and smiled. She looked back at the the woman. She was smiling at her. "My name is Meredith," she said.

"Lily," she replied. Meredith smiled at her.

"How did you know to curtsy? And how did you do it so well?" Lily shrunk down in the water.

"Let's just say, it got me out of a lot of trouble," she said softly. "When you see other maids do it and not get hit, it kind of just comes to you." She looked back at Meredith. She wasn't smiling anymore and averted her gaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quietly. Lily looked back at the water.

"Thanks for this. It feels good to finally clean up," she said quietly. Meredith stood.

"No problem." She picked up the towel and held it out to her. "But we'd better hurry up or else she'll get impatient. Dinner should be starting soon. Lily stood and dried herself off. She got dressed in the dress Meredith brought for her. It was light blue with cream colored sleeves and apron. Her hair was quickly dried and the sides pulled back from her face. Meredith handed her a pair of brown shoes. When she was dressed, Meredith gaped at her.

"What?" she asked shrinking away.

"I… don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't know you were that pretty," she said. Lily looked away.

"Oh." Meredith motioned for her to follow.

"Come on, let's go serve dinner," she said never taking her eyes off her. Lily followed her up through the house receiving stares from everyone they passed. Finally they went into the kitchen. "What's for dinner Cook?" she asked. The round lady turned from the stove. She gasped once she saw Lily. She looked down.

"Is this the new girl?" she asked motherly.

"Yes. Pretty isn't she?" Meredith asked with a smile. Lily blushed and looked up. The cook smiled at her and gave her a motherly hug, her gray eyes comforting.

"Absolutely," she said. "Look at your hair... absolutely envious," she said touching her fingertips to Lily's fiery locks. She turned back to the food on the counter and placed a piece of ham on each plate. "Ham," she told Meredith. Meredith nodded her head. She grabbed two cups and a wine bottle. She motioned for Lily to get the plates.

"Come on," she said. She picked up the plates and followed her through the door into the household. They walked toward the table. The lady was there with another girl. She had a long bony face with long, blonde curly hair and startling blue eyes. She wore a fusia gown with white lace frills along the low neckline. Lily put the plates in front of them. They were both staring at her.

"Mother? Is this that new servant girl?" she asked.

"Yes," she replied. She grabbed her arm and peered at her. "You're not wearing any makeup are you?" she asked. Lily shook her head.

"No Madame," she replied softly. The lady shoved her backwards. She stood and folded her hands on her apron.

"Mother! She can't stay here! Every suitor I bring home will stare after her! How could you do this to me?!" the girl squealed in outrage.

"Relax darling. No one will see her. She'll stay in the household." She turned back to her dinner. Lily curtsied low and began to walk back to where Meredith stood. She gave her a sad look, but quickly hid it as she stood straight ready to be of service.

After dinner, Meredith and Lily cleared the table and began to clean up the house hold. Just before they made to leave, Lily was called back. She walked up to her mistress and stood silently in front of her. The lady held out a cloth to her.

"You are to wear your hair up and put this cloth over to cover it. You will always keep your head down and you are to stay out of sight when we have company do you understand? You are to never show your face ever to anyone," she said gruffly.

"Yes Madame," she replied quietly. Suddenly there was a sharp 'crack'. Lily reeled back in shock, her hand going to her stinging cheek. The mistress glared at her.

"Now go," she snapped. Lily swept a graceful curtsy and left the room. A stunned Meredith followed her into the kitchen. Cook looked over and quickly went over to her, dropping the pan she was washing into the water. She cupped her cheek and looked at her precariously.

"What happened? You're cheek is all red."

"She hit her," Meredith said still in shock.

"What?"

"The mistress hit her and she didn't even do anything wrong!"

"Oh my gosh."

"She's not allowed to show her face either," Meredith added.

"What? Why would she do this?" cook asked Meredith.

"It's because Fanny freaked out when she saw her. Lily's so pretty she didn't want any of her suitors to go chasing after the maid. Lily wouldn't be able to stop their advances and she knows that." Cook nodded.

"That still doesn't explain why she hit you dear. It's not like the Mistress to hit her maids."

"The man who sold me said that sometimes she needed to reestablish who's boss with me, but... i don't know what I ever did wrong." Cook again nodded.

"I understand dear. Some people just can't get over the power trip part of their lives." Lily stepped back from Cook and looking away, began to pull up her hair. Meredith went from the room and came back with spare pins. She pinned it in place and draped the cloth over her head, pinning it as well. She looked at Cook and Meredith.

"Well?"

"You still look every bit as pretty." Lily sighed. "Don't worry honey," Cook reassured. "Everything will turn out alright soon. You'll see."

"I hope so," Meredith answered. "Come on," she said softly. "We best start on our nightly chores. The mistress is really anal about them."

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A/N: I know it's not much, but it's the first chapter, I have to set the stage a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys. I can't say that this is a long chapter because it isn't, but it's getting there. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: The lovely Harry Potter characters aren't mine, they belong to the ingenious J.K. Rowling

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Soon, three years had passed. Lily and Meredith had become close friends, sharing a bed so that Lily wouldn't have to squeeze in with the other servants in their room. Lily entered the servant's quarters and went directly to the back room to get changed. The nightly beatings had left their marks and she didn't want to let Meredith think that they were still going on. She denied it when Meredith brought it up and lied that the Mistress just wanted her to do some extra chores up in her room. She had to change in the back room so they wouldn't see the bruises and slash marks on her back. She crawled under the covers of the bed and laid down gently on her side, trying not to wince at the pain. She had gotten good at hiding the pain, but some nights, it was unbearable. On those nights, she just made sure that Meredith couldn't see her face. It was easy enough. One day, they got up at their usual time, going about their daily routine. She was in the back room getting dressed when Meredith called out to her.

"Hey Lily," she said. Lily stiffened praying that she wouldn't bring up the subject again.

"What?"

"Do you want to come and do the laundry with me?" She frowned and came out, her dress fully on.

"What are you talking about?" Meredith shrugged.

"I just meant that after these three years of being holed up, would you want to come with me down to the watering hole and do the laundry with me?" Lily looked skeptically at her while she began to pin up her hair.

"You know very well that I can't leave the household Mer."

"But Fanny's been courted by the bloke now for a whole half year. I'm sure that the Mistress wouldn't mind as long as you're out of sight right? And you could even where your cloak." Lily shrugged.

"I don't know…" she said pursing her lips in thought. How did Meredith think she could pull off such a stunt? She sighed seeing Meredith look at her, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Please let me try Lily. What could it hurt?" Lily held back her wince. It could hurt a lot, a lot worse than she was already dealing with. She sighed.

"She won't let me out today," Lily answered.

"Maybe not, but she might sometime like next week."

"Fine," Lily said. "You can try." Meredith smiled at her and nodded.

"I'll talk to the Mistress about it. She likes me enough." Lily smiled at her.

"I miss being outside." Meredith flashed her a smile.

They went about their daily chores.

The prince and his friends were riding on their horses down the dirt road. Sirius nudged him, his dark eyes dancing.

"Hey, you want to see something?" He smiled.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, it just so happens that I know of a watering hole that these maids come to do their Mistresses laundry. We could spy on them and you know, get a couple of glimpses," he said wiggling his eyebrows. James laughed.

"OK then. You up for it Remus?" he asked his other friend. He saw excitement spark in his blue eyes.

"Absolutely."

"Lead the way Sirius." They ducked into the forest and tied up their horses. They ducked into the bushes just as a pair of maids came into view.

"Those are Fanny's maids," Remus said in disgust.

"Sirius, what are you trying to pull?" James hissed.

"Watch, they've been talking about this girl. I'm trying to figure out what's so special about her," he said. They quieted and began to listen.

"Hey, have you talked to Lily yet about coming to do this with you? I mean, I'm tired of laundry duty," a stocky blonde said. The other girl had short brown hair that brushed just below her shoulder. She was slim and curvy, her dress brushing the tops of her shoes. Both girls had laundry baskets on their hips, making their way to the water. They knelt on the ground and began to sort through the laundry.

"Yup, this morning."

"You did?! What did she say?"

"She looked at me like I was an idiot."

"What? Why?" The brown haired girl sighed.

"You know the rule Gerti. She's not allowed to leave the household." The blonde looked back at the dress in her hands before she started to wash it.

"But she does want to come doesn't she?"

"Wouldn't you if you were holed up in the house for three straight years?"

"Do you really believe that the Mistress has her doing extra chores late at night?" The brown haired girl shook her head sadly.

"No, but she keeps denying everything when I ask her about it. I think that she's just protecting us all."

"She's very good at hiding it."

"Most of the time. Last night she was really hurt. She doesn't think I see it when she winces after a really bad one, but I do. Sometimes I just want to scream at her to talk to me, but she never does."

"Do you know when it started?"

"The first day she arrived, before we went off to bed, the Mistress hit her in front of me. She didn't even do anything wrong. From that point I've never seen her get hit again, but I know what's happening," she said.

"I want to get her out of there, but the Mistress is so dead-set against it."

"It's all because of Fanny's reaction the first day. She freaked saying that all of her beaus would just end up raping the maid and pay no more attention to her."

"She is really pretty, but it's the mistress too."

"I'll talk to her. She likes me well enough."

"Do you think she'll give in?"

"I don't know, but that poor bloke has been courting Fanny for a half a year. I don't think it'll be a huge problem. Besides, she'll stay out of sight. She'll wear her cloak and hide her face. She knows better than to do otherwise."

"When are you going to talk to the mistress?"

"Tomorrow, and hopefully she'll agree. Next week you'll probably be off the hook."

"Hopefully for good."

"Yeah, no offense, but I kind of want to get her out of that house as much as possible." Gerti's head snapped up.

"Oh God, I wonder what's going on now." She brought a trembling hand up to cover her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" the brunette asked stiffening.

"She told me that she had chores up in the Mistress' room, first breakfast and after dinner now." She gasped dropping the dress she was washing.

"She's escalating then," the brunette said quietly.

"I should have picked up on it sooner. Oh no, Lily," Gerti said quietly in horror. "We should hurry up and get back."

"No. If we don't do this right, she'll get it worse because of us. Besides, there's nothing that two maids and a cook can do to stop the Mistress from beating her."

"Oh God, I can't help but think about what she's doing to her." The brown-haired girl shook her head.

"Stop it Gerti. It's enough that I can't do anything to stop it. Don't make me think of how bad it is. I see more pain in her eyes every night when she lays down. Oh God," she said bringing her hand up to her face. "Come on, let's finish this." The three watched them in silence. Finally they left. They all looked at Sirius.

"Why didn't you tell about this before?!" James demanded.

"I didn't know! I swear, this is news to me!" They all stood.

"What should we do?"

"Nothing I guess. Nothing until that maid they were talking about shows up here, then we'll think of something." They got back on their horses and rode back to the castle the story of the maid haunting their minds.

It was a bright sunny day. Lily got dressed quickly and came back into the room. Meredith smiled at her.

"I can't wait. You'll love the watering hole. It's absolutely beautiful." Lily smiled, but kept her head down.

"I think I'll love everything about the outside. It's been so long." Meredith nodded, but frowned.

"Lily, why are you hiding your face already? You don't have to yet." Lily looked up and Meredith gasped covering her mouth with her hand. There was a large bruise down the side of her face. "Oh god, she hit you again didn't she?" Lily shook her head.

"No, don't be silly Meredith. I just fell last night." She turned and began to pin up her hair. She quickly pinned the cloth in place. "I'll be right back down." She hesitated. "I have a few chores upstairs that need to be taken care of," she quickly left the room before Meredith could say anything. Meredith sat on the bed and tried not to think of what was happening upstairs. After an hour, she came back down. She quickly grabbed her cloak and threw it over her, making sure that her face was covered before Meredith could see her face. She turned back to her.

"Are you ok Lily?" Meredith whispered. She saw Lily hesitate before nodding her head.

"Let's go," she said, her voice trembling. She picked up a laundry basket, balancing it on her hip. She followed Meredith outside and took in a deep breath of air once she got outside. Meredith smiled despite herself.

"How does it feel?"

"Like I'm free," Lily breathed out. "I've missed it so much," she said. Meredith nodded before they began through the gates and down the road.

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A/N: Hope you liked it. R&R if you like.

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys,

Thanks bunches for the reviews. This chapter is a little short, I know but things are getting hectic and I figured that it would just be better to update now instead of wait till i have more downtime. Hope you like it. R&R if you like.

Disclaimer: Though I love them, the HP characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

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The three men hid their horses in the brush and snuck into the bushes just as the brown-hard girl and another girl in a cloak appeared. They settled themselves in the brush and watched the maids enter the clearing. One gasped. The brow-haired girl smiled.

"See? I told you it was beautiful."

"I never doubted you," came a soft, gentle voice. James felt his heart flip at the sound. They watched as the cloaked girl took in a deep breath. The brow-haired girl smiled. They both knelt. The cloaked girl never removed her hood. Finally the brown-haired girl sighed.

"Lily. It's ok to take off your cloak." The girl looked up at her.

"You know I can't Mer," she replied looking back at the dress in her hands.

"Come on Lily. She won't ever find out. I mean look at us. We're in the middle of the woods."

"I don't know Mer."

"I won't tell. Come on Lily. You've been cooped up for way too long."

"No I haven't." She looked skeptically at the cloaked girl.

"No, I guess you're right, three years isn't nearly long enough," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Glad to hear you agree," she replied.

"Come on Lily. Just this once and let down your hair too! I love your hair." The cloaked girl looked at her.

"Ok I guess." She slowly pulled back her hood. All they saw was her hair covered with a white cloth. She stood and hung her cloak on a nearby tree and slowly let her hair down. She hung the cloth on the cloak. Her long red hair fell in beautiful fiery tresses to the lower back. She was slim and curvy. Her friend gasped in and stared up, her eyes wide with horror. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. The girl gently knelt back down beside her.

"Oh God Lily," she said gently touching the other side of her face. The girl winced and pulled back. "D-did she hit you again?" she asked.

"Don't be ridiculous Mer. I just fell down the stairs last night," she replied quietly as if trying to convince her friend.

"Let me guess, you've been increasingly clumsy these past three years?"

"Looks like it. Can't seem to keep my feet under me," she said quietly.

"Why Lily? Why does she hit you?"

"So you know? How long have you known?"

"I've always know Lily. I wish you talked with me more though."

"What do you want me to say? I wish I knew why she hits me, so that I can stop doing whatever it is I'm doing, but I can never figure it out."

"What do we do?"

"Nothing I guess. Pretty soon, I'll have chores in Fanny's room as well." Meredith gasped and shook her head.

"No, why?!"

"I don't know."

"You can't stay here any longer Lily."

"What are you going to do about it Mer? You can't stop it," she said.

"Get you out of here. Anything is better than getting beaten senseless everyday. I have to get you out here."

"To do what? To go back to him and get raped every night by every man that's seen me? I don't want that," she pleaded.

"I had no idea Lily," she whispered.

"I know, but trust me, I'd rather stay here than go back," she said quietly. Meredith sighed.

"There has to be something I can do." Lily grabbed her arm.

"No! I won't let you get hurt just to protect me. You're not going to get sucked up in my problems."

"How bad has it gotten Lily?"

"Promise me that you'll stay out of it."

"Show me and I will."

"Promise me!"

"Fine, I promise." She turned and offered her back to her. Meredith pulled her dress away from her back and looked down her dress. She clamped her hand to her mouth and screamed. Lily scrambled away from her.

"SHHHH!" she hissed. Meredith looked at her in pure terror.

"Oh my God Lily!" she said. "She did that to you today?!"

"Shut up Meredith! Someone will hear you!"

"Let them! Someone coming to take you away is better than what she's doing to you! Do you have any idea that damage she's done to you?!"

"Of course I do. I can feel it, but I can't do anything to stop it ok?! Just face it!" she turned and angrily began to wash the clothes. Meredith did the same.

"I'm sorry," she said after a while.

"Don't be. I should have known you'd react like that," Lily replied.

"I don't understand. How can she do this to you? You're not even doing anything wrong." Lily shrugged slightly and drew in sharp breath.

"I try to be perfect, but she still does it. I guess it's just something I'll have to live with." Meredith looked sadly over at her, but said nothing. They finished their work. Suddenly, dark thunder clouds rolled in and it began to pour. They continued to wash the clothes, until a loud rumble of thunder shook the ground. They gathered up the laundry.

"Let's get back as soon as possible. It's not safe out here," Meredith said over the rain. Lily nodded and quickly flung her cloak around her slim shoulder, but didn't bother with the hood or the cloth. They began to run out of the clearing.

"What are we going to do James?" Remus asked.

"We need to get them out that house. Let's get them and bring them back to the palace. Use the ruse that we were just trying to get them out the rain first, then we'll decide what to do afterwards." They nodded and hopped on their horses, They put their hoods up and began to run after the maids.

They heard the pounding of hoofs behind them and looked back. Meredith screamed.

"Run!" They began to run, but Meredith tripped in a puddle, pulling Lily down with her. Both laundry baskets went flying. Lily stood and desperately tried to pull up Meredith.

"My ankle," Meredith cried.

"Come on, I'll help you run," Lily said desperately as the horses were catching up.

"Go! I'll be fine! Just go!"

"Not without you!"

"Lily go! You'll be in bigger trouble if you don't come back! Now!" Lily hesitated, but Meredith pushed her away from her. She climbed out the puddle and Meredith began to pull herself into the woods. She ran at full speed. She heard the horses trying to wade through the puddle. She tripped and fell in other puddle, her dress weighing her down. She had just made it across when she heard Meredith screamed and suddenly stopped. She whipped around. The three men had reached her. One of the men kept coming for her. She turned and began to run still. She tripped and fell in yet another puddle. She heard the horse enter the water and tried to run faster, but her dress and cloak combined kept pulling her back. She fell and saw the horse near her. She screamed and splashed water up at the horse. It reared and she continued to run. She ran into another puddle, but knew that the rider had calmed down the horse. This time, the rider jumped off and went after her himself. She tripped again, but this time, she knew she couldn't go anywhere. She felt a pair of strong arms grab her. She screamed and tried to get him off of her. He instead pushed her under the water. She tried to fight her way up so that she could get air into her lungs. He pulled her back up and she took in a deep breath. He forced her back down. Again she tried, and just as she was about to pass out he pulled her back up. She was too weak to fight now. She felt him drag her to the edge of the puddle. Another man on a horse was there. She felt the man lift her effortlessly and sit her sideways on the horse, leaning her backwards against the mans muscular chest. His arm came around to hold her to him. He waited for the other man to climb up on his own horse before turning and riding back.

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A/N: Hope you liked it...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this took so long. My family is in the process of moving and I couldn't hook up anywhere long enough to get this out. Hope you enjoy it!

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"Oh my God! What did you do to her?" she heard Meredith say in panic.

"She's alive don't worry. We wouldn't hurt her," the man behind her said, his chest rumbling as he talked. "You'll come back with us until this storm blows over. We'll take care of you until then." She felt the horse beneath her start to run in the opposite direction that they should have been going, but she was too water-logged to do anything about it. She tried to muttle through her thoughts as the horses continued, the strong muscles moving beneath her. The horse gradually slowed to a trot before finally stopping. She felt the man behind her shift and he gently placed one hand on her waist and the other on her arm, bracing her. He slid her off the side of his horse and she fell into a pair of arms. She heard Meredith whimper in pain, but her limbs still refused to move. Her head lolled about against his chest as he walked into a warm room. She stiffened as he stopped and set her gently down on a chair, backing away from her. Suddenly, Meredith was there gripping her hand.

"Lily, Lily. Dear God say something!" she said frantically.

"She's ok," a soft voice reassured Meredith. "She's just a bit water-logged, nothing to worry about. She'll be spouting sonnets in a few minutes." Lily brought a hand to her head and began to sit up, straightening her back and groaning slightly as her head began to pound. Once her focus came back to her, she took in the inn around her. There were three men in front of her. One had shoulder length black hair and dark eyes, his frame muscular and rigid. The one standing next to him had sandy blonde hair and endless blue eyes, muscular as well, but softer in his facial features. The other man was away from them both, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his broad chest. He had messy raven black hair and bright hazel eyes. His jaw was rigid, a muscle ticking in his cheek. Both men were evaluating both her and Meredith, though the one with hazel eyes was focused dead on her, his eyes flickering between hers and her cheek. She instinctively brought a hand up to cover it. She looked wildly at Meredith.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" she whispered frantically, her heart rate speeding up as she thought of what her mistress would do to her when she got back. Meredith shook her head.

"Some kind of inn. I don't know Lily. I don't go into town," she said holding her hand tightly.

"Meredith! I need to go back!"

"What? No! She'll practically kill you once she finds out _three_ men saw you!" she hissed.

"Mer, please," she pleaded. Lily couldn't stop the panic that began to rise in her.

"You'll stay here until the storm blows over," one of the men behind her said. She slowly turned around to face them. The long-haired man bowed to her.

"I beg your pardon Miss, I did not have any intention whatsoever to harm you," he said.

"You almost drowned her!" Meredith spat at him.

"I needed to get her under control. I wouldn't have killed her," he reasoned. Lily stood slowly and curtseyed to him instead, low and graceful.

Without rising she said: "It is I who should bow to you for I am but a lowly servant." Suddenly the man from near the door walked forward and stood in front of her. She stiffened.

"Rise," he said quietly. She stiffly rose. "You curtsey to no one here fair maiden. Here, you are no servant," he said. She looked up at him. His eyes flickered to her cheek. "You have been hurt," he said. She looked away. "No doubt a jealous mistress," he mused.

"Just a clumsy servant," she replied quietly.

"Not a servant, a maiden remember?" She nodded.

"As you wish," she whispered. She heard him chuckle.

"I see this will have to be a work in progress then." She remained silent and stiff. "You are tense, as if preparing yourself for injury. Why is that?" Again she did not answer. She felt him lean toward her and held her breath. "I will not hurt you, nor will I let another man near you without your permission. Do not be afraid," he whispered. Her eyes widened and he leaned backwards again. He took several steps back and spread his arms wide. She stayed where she was. Finally she met his gaze.

"Why? Why would you protect someone like me?" she asked in a small voice.

"You say that as if you're some kind of disease," he said, his voice expressing the surprise he felt.

"It's just… that's all that any man has thought about when they look at me," she whispered, blushing madly. He was silent for a moment.

"As I said when we were on the road, we'll take care of you."

"Yes, until the storm ends," she finished remembering his words. He nodded.

"Although, I had hoped that by that time, we would have gained both of your trust enough that you would choose to stay. I cannot bear to see you go back to your old mistress just to have her mistreat you again." Lily averted her gaze.

"I do not know what you speak of." Meredith made an impatient sound behind her.

"Sir, if I could, may we please see a doctor? My ankle is hurting terribly and my friend has… uh, some cuts to be dealt with." He nodded. Suddenly, the sandy-haired man stepped forward. Lily took a step back, her eyes wide.

"No, I do not need a doctor."

"Please miss, I only wish to help you. I promise," he said gently. He went over and scooped up Meredith, gently laying her on the couch. He examined her ankle carefully. Standing, he requested linens to be brought to him. With care, he wrapped her ankle and gave her a pill to take. He turned to look at Lily, waiting for her decision. "I promise milady, I only want to help you," he said. She looked at Meredith.

"I'll come too," she said. The man nodded. Lily hesitantly nodded her head and followed him into a nearby empty room, closing the door. The two men left began to pace around the room.

"Oh my God!" Meredith screamed. Both men looked at each other and pressed their ears to the door. "Lily, I had no idea it was this bad," she said horrified.

"Your mistress, she did this to you?"

"Just a lot of stairs," Lily replied.

"How long has she had you, ten years? That's how long it would take to inflict this kind of damage on one person."

"Three years," she said quietly.

"Three years?!" he yelled in outrage.

"I'm sorry," Lily whimpered. "This was a bad idea."

"No, no. It's not you I'm mad at milady. It's that… that," they heard him take in a deep breath. "I can't believe that your mistress would be so heartless as to inflict this kind of pain upon you. I gave you my word that I was here only to help you. I won't ever strike you." A few moments passed before he spoke again. "Ok, this is going to hurt."

"I'm no stranger to pain," she said quietly. They heard her take in a sharp breath.

"Lily, it's going to be ok," Meredith soothed.

"Do you wish me to stop?" They heard her choke.

"No, I'm ok," she sobbed.

"Ok, I'm almost done." Finally, the door opened and he stepped outside.

"You're done? Not once did she cry out in pain," Sirius said. Remus shook his head.

"I'm not surprised. With the amount of damage on her, that probably felt like a tickle."

"Was it really that bad?" James asked. He shook his head.

"Whatever you're picturing, imagine that like a million times worse. A lot of tears though," he said quietly. They all went back to the door and listened to the conversation.

"It's ok Lily. Here, use this," Meredith said.

"I don't need it," she said.

"So those rivers on your cheeks are just my imagination then? I thought not," Meredith said.

"Mer, why are they helping us?"

"I don't know, but I am glad. If he didn't look at you before, everything would have become infected."

"It doesn't matter if they did."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't you see? She's going to come looking for me. Then she'll find me and not only will she almost kill me for 

losing you, her favorite, but she'll really kill me for letting three men see me. I'll end up going back, and it wouldn't have mattered if they became infected or not."

"Lily, what's wrong with the prospect of staying with them?"

"You can, but I can't. If I don't go back, she'll pick another poor maid to beat on. I can't do that to anyone else. She'll be taking her anger for me out on someone else. Besides, they'll get tired of me soon enough and sell me or bring me back."

"How do you know? You've never even met them before!"

"Because that's what men like them do Meredith. They get a nice maid who can't do anything to stop their advances, and once they're tired, they sell them to someone else."

"How do you know?! Maybe they're different."

"I've been there before!" she said. There was silence. She continued quietly. "Before I came to live with you, I was with that guy. Everyday, it was a new place. The men would bid on me. One would win, take me to bed with him every night and then once he got bored with me, bring me back for the next guy. Every time, I hoped it would be different, but it never was. Finally, I just stopped hoping, believing that every man was the same." She was silent for a few moments, gathering herself again. "All I've ever wanted was for a man to see me for me and not some sex toy, but I've given up hope for that as well."

"I had no idea Lily. I'm so sorry," Meredith said quietly. "But I have a feeling that these men are different. I mean, that doctor took really good care of you and he was appalled at what she did to you. And that other one was hoping that we'd stay. I think that they're different."

"Like I said Mer, I've given hope. I'll go along with you, but I won't get my hopes. It hurts too much you're your hopes are crushed."

"Do you think you'll ever be able to trust them?"

"I don't know." They stepped away from the door.

"Jesus," Remus swore. "It's worse than we thought," he said.

"This is going to be harder tan I thought," James added.

"What do we do?"

"I am going to hide my identity."

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A/N: Feel free to R&R. Thanks so far to the ones that have been submitted. You guys are the best!


	5. Chapter 5

a/n: Hey guys, sorry it's been sooooo long since I've posted. Life kind of ran away from me. It's good to be back though. I hope you like what I have. It's not much but I just have to get back into the groove.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish the HP characters were mine, they aren't. Just the plot.

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"Why?" Sirius asked incredulously

"Because if she finds out who I am, then she will really think that I only saved her for my own devices. I need her to trust me."

"What are we going to do with them James? We can't keep them hidden forever!" Remus argued.

"My father has been arguing with us for years on finding brides. We'll just tell him that they are it and he'll take them in. They'll be safe at least." Remus shook his head.

"You're not going to pull this off that easily James. They won't believe you, especially Lily."

"Well what else would you propose then?! How else would you keep Meredith safe?" he asked, his voice a mixture of desperation and frustration. Remus shook his head.

"I don't know. But Lying to them just isn't right given what they've already been through." James sighed.

"I guess you're right." They nodded. "From now on however, I am really your equal," he said. "Regardless of what happens." Remus and Sirius looked to each other before nodding again. Suddenly the door opened. They turned to face the door and gave a slight bow. Lily's eyes were red and puffy. They walked forward, Meredith with a slight limp, both giving a small curtsey. Remus stepped forward and helped her into a nearby chair. Lily walked silently behind them, looking down and remained standing. "Do you require new dresses milady?" he asked. Meredith looked at him.

"If it's not too much trouble kind sir," she replied. He nodded and looked at Sirius who nodded and left. He looked back at them.

"How does your ankle feel?" Remus asked.

"It feels much better, though it still hurts," she replied.

"Only time will fix that. How about your back?" Lily looked up and looked first at him, but her gaze flickered to James, who was staring at her intently. She made herself look back at Remus who looked sincere.

"Um, fine I guess."

"It's not sore?"

"To the touch I suppose," she whispered before looking back down.

"I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but who are you exactly?" Mereidth asked.

"Forgive us," James answered. "I'm James, this is my best friend Remus." Sirius entered carrying two dresses. "And this is my other best Friend Sirius," he said. Both men nodded. "And you're names?"

"I'm Meredith and this is Lily," she replied looking at the dresses. Sirius walked forward. He handed a scarlet dress to Meredith and a light blue dress to Lily. He stepped back.

"Will these do miladies?" he asked.

"Yes thank you," Meredith answered. Lily helped her to the room. A few moments later, Meredith came out. The dress fit her nicely, dipping to her middle chest and showing off her gentle curves. It touched the floor where she wore a pair of red shoes. At about the middle of the waist, just below her navel, it split and a golden layer shown through. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, but she still had some pieces hanging down to brush against the tops of her shoulders. Remus helped her into a nearby chair. Lily came out still wearing her dirty dress.

"Is something wrong?" James asked.

"I cannot wear this," Lily whispered looking away from the dress.

"Does it not fit? I can get you another one," Sirius said stepping forward. "Perhaps I misjudged your size."

"No, that's not it."

"What's wrong then?" James asked.

"This dress… It is for a lady."

"Are you not a lady?" James asked confused. She looked at him.

"I am a servant. This dress is too nice for someone like myself. I have no problem staying as I am." He breathed out.

"Milady, as I have told you, you are no servant here." She looked at him. He stared back into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"If it pleases you, I will change," she said. He bowed slightly.

"The question is if it pleases you milady, for you are the one who will be wearing the dress," he replied. He stood straight up again. "Again, you are no servant here. You may do as you please, but if it helps you, I wish you would change," he said gently. She nodded.

"Very well then." She turned around and closed the door. Later, she came back out. The dress came to about her mid chest and the sleeves were loose around her arms. The hem touched the floor, but the tips of her blue slippers could be seen. The dress was almost like Meredith's, except beneath the blue, there was white satin filling in the split. She had brushed through her hair and pulled it back at the sides. It flowed when she walked brushing gently at her lower back. James held his breath. She was looking down at the floor. He stepped toward her and felt her stiffen. He gently lifted her chin, and then spread his arms wide stepping back.

"Why do you always look down? You needn't be in submission milady," he said.

"Force of habit I suppose. If it displeases you, I will stop," she replied. He smiled.

"So hard to break," he said. Suddenly a large group of men came in laughing loudly. They moved off to the side, Remus supporting Meredith.

"Shall we take to Super?" Sirius asked. They all nodded and found a table. Lily sat stiffly next to Meredith. The three sat on the opposite side of the table.

"Is there anything I can do to make you relax milady?" James asked Lily. She glanced at him.

"Do you really wish to know?" he nodded. "Let me serve you. It will make me feel better," she said. He huffed out a breath.

"Very well then. If that is your wish," he said. She stood.

"What beverage do you wish to dine with?" They all gave their drink orders and she went to fetch them. She silently slipped past the men at the bar and retrieved their drinks. She went to return the serving tray when suddenly a man called out to her.

"Hey wench! Come here sweet thing," he called. She stiffened and suddenly felt someone behind her. She whirled around and stared at the tall broadly built man with wide-eyes. He was at least three feet taller than her and his arms were massive. She slowly began to back up. He grinned at her. "Well, aren't you a sweet piece of ass," he crooned. She felt the bar at her back and couldn't go anymore. He kept coming forward. "Come on honey, should I take you here or to my room?" he laughed. He reached out and dragged his hand from her shoulder to her breast and down her torso to her thighs. His hand grabbed her hip in a painfully tight grip, and rammed her body to his. She felt his excitement and felt her body freeze in fear. He pulled her closer, his hand clenching her waist hard and she couldn't stop herself from crying out in pain. He moved slightly away from her. Suddenly, James and Sirius appeared, both looking livid. James moved closer to them, his eyes murderously dark.

"Excuse me, but I think you may be hitting on my," he hesitated. "Girlfriend," he finished through gritted teeth.

"You're girlfriend eh? Well she looks like a wench to me," the man answered. He looked back at her and then moved back against her, pinning her to the bar. His hands moving up her torso to run lightly over her breasts. James' thin composure shattered. He grabbed the man's shoulders and threw him away, stepping in front of her protectively.

"Touch her again, I dare you," he said furiously, his teeth gritted. His hands were clenched, his stance tense. The man looked at him, then at her and shrugged.

"Nice piece of ass, but not worth it," he said simply. He turned and sat at the bar with the rest of his friends. James took a few deep breaths and turned to her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, calmness forced into his voice, his eyes livid. She tried to breath, but found it increasingly harder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his eyes were filled with sorrow. She turned her head away and pressed her lips together, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, her finger tips barely touching her lips. She tried to catch her breath, but couldn't as she tried to fight off the tears. Suddenly, one escaped from her eye. She felt his hand gently on her shoulder guiding her away from the counter. She let him guide her to a corner. He gently turned her toward him. He lifted her head to look at him. "I am truly sorry. I broke my promise to you. I wish I had been able to see it sooner and protect you, but I was stupid. I am truly, truly sorry." She shook her head, not able to say anything. She desperately tried to fight back the tears, but she couldn't. He gently folded her into his arms and rocked her slightly. "I swear to you, I will not let it happen again," he promised her softly. After a few moments, he pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "Are you ok?" he asked again. She nodded.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"I am sorry for calling you my girlfriend, but I thought that would have a better impact on him than it would have if I had called you my sister. Apparently, it didn't." She saw anger flicker in his gaze. "I hope I did not scare you."

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get in front of me, like you were protecting me? Why were you so mad at him?" He took in a deep breath.

"Part of me feels that no woman, no matter her station should ever be treating like that, especially in public." She looked at him cautiously.

"What was the other part?"

"Part of me was mad at myself for breaking my promise to you," he said. He watched the confusion in her eyes as she looked at a spot over his shoulder. "Truthfully, I find myself beginning to care for you."

She took in a deep breath and stared up at him. His endless blue eyes showed sincerity. He was telling her the truth.

"How could you ever come to care for someone like me?" He huffed out a breath in frustration.

"Why do you always think of yourself as some sort of disease, like you're not worthy of anything good in this life?"

"Because I don't. I'm a servant. I'm nothing worthy of your attention," she said. He cupped her face in both hands. She felt her hands gently wrap around his wrists.

"You are no servant to me, but me to you. Whatever you wish, I cannot deny you. I have never known this sentiment for any of my other courts. I feel the need to protect you, and I will act on that need for as long as you are with me. But if you feel that you must leave and go back to your mistress, although it against my deepest wishes, I will have no choice but to let you go. I cannot keep you prisoner," he said. She searched his face for any trace of a lie, but there was none.

"You really do care," she whispered. He smiled gently down at her realization.

"More than I think either of us know," he breathed. She pulled his hands from her face, but didn't let go of his wrists, and looked away from him. She could tell that he wasn't going to push her. She returned her gave to him. He was searching her face, not looking for anything specific. He slipped his wrists from her hands and gently took her hands in his. "Come, they'll wonder if you're ok. Let us join them," he said gently leading her to a room. Meredith was sitting on the bed and both Sirius and Remus were leaning against the near wall. They all watched as they entered. James gently guided Lily to the bed. She sat next to Meredith and she grabbed her hands in fear.

"Oh my God. Did he hurt you? Are you ok? I should have never let you go once they came in. I knew this would happen!"

"Meredith, it's ok," she said quietly.

"Did he touch you?" Suddenly, Lily felt the three stare at her. Only James knew the true answer. She could lie, but Meredith would call her on it. "Answer me Lily! Did he touch you?!" She looked away.

"Yes," she whispered. She saw both Remus' and Sirius's hands ball up into fists and they stood straight up.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes," she answered. "I'm fine, thanks to James and Sirius."

"Oh God, he was ready to take you right there wasn't he?"

"He was excited," she whispered. She felt James stiffen as well.

"What did he do specifically before we got there?" he asked. She hugged herself and stood going to the window.

"Lily," Meredith prompted quietly. "What did he do to you?" She felt a tear spill over and roll down her cheek. She looked out the window, trying not to conjure the images in her head. Instead of the man downstairs, other men appeared. They were sneering at her and laughing at her, calling her names. She could feel their hands all over her. She hugged herself tighter and tried desperately to push them from her mind. The tears spilled from her eyes and she couldn't stop them. She felt Meredith's gentle hands on her arms. "Lily, it's ok," she said quietly. "None of them are here," she said quietly.

"I can feel them Mer. All over me," she whispered.

"I know Lily… What did that guy downstairs do to you?" She took in trembling breath.

"He called me a wench. He asked out loud if he should take me to his room or right there," she sobbed.

"And then?"

"He touched me… he touched me everywhere and…"

"It's ok Lily, he can't hurt you anymore," she said quietly.

"He pulled me close…. so close to him. I could feel him… he held my hip in a vise and kept me close talking to me and touching me, like he didn't care who saw, only that he had me right there," she choked out. Her legs gave out. She sank to the floor with Meredith and covered her face. Meredith rubbed her hands up and down her arms while Lily tried desperately to control herself, but was failing miserably. Suddenly, Meredith was gone and a pair of strong arms enveloped her. She recognized James' scent and desperately tried to regain control over herself, but the men reappeared in her imagination and she couldn't stop herself from falling completely apart. The plume of pain completely enveloped her and she felt herself shatter under the internal pressure of years of bottled emotion. She couldn't control her tears or her breath and started choking. She felt his arms tighten around her in support as she desperately clutched to his shirt. He stood and gently placed her on the bed. She untangled her fingers from his shirt and tried to shield her face from everyone. She felt Meredith sit next to her on the bed and wrap her arms around her. Someone kneeled in front of her. She met Remus' eyes from between her fingers. He held out a pill.

"Here," he said gently. "Swallow it." She took it and put it in her mouth. She took the glass of water from him with both her trembling hands and drank it slowly. His hands rested gently on her knees while she drank. She handed him back the cup. He took, but didn't move, looking at her sympathetically. She was able to control her breathing better, but the tears kept leaking from her eyes. Sirius had moved into her sight and was leaning up against the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest. She looked at her lap, the tears still running down her cheeks uncontrollably. Remus gently his hands on top of hers in her lap and gently held them to stop their trembling. Lily met his gaze. "Try to sleep," he said. "You need it." She felt Meredith tighten her arms around her.

"He's right," she whispered. Still the tears rolled down her cheeks and shook her head.

"No, I don't want them to come back," she whispered.

"They won't, I promise you. You'll be safe," Remus replied. She looked back at her lap, trying not to let the images back into her head. She felt tired and gently closed her eyes, Meredith pulling her head to her shoulder. She let herself drift into sleep.

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a/n: R&R if you like!


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